


"Mommy, I can't sleep, I miss Daddy"

by Valkoinenkarhu



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Mother-Son Relationship, Owen Strand is a Good Dad, TK Strand Needs A Hug, Worried TK Strand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:15:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valkoinenkarhu/pseuds/Valkoinenkarhu
Summary: Little TK couldn't sleep, because his dad was on shift and his mom trying to do everything to took her son calm down and back to sleep.She ask her son's if he would like to try some method, which his dad also liked and help him to relax. It's called ASMR.Short story about mother and son relationship, because I don't want to believe TK's mom was only a bad person in her son's and husband's life. TK was still daddy's boy.
Relationships: TK Strand/Owen Strand
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	"Mommy, I can't sleep, I miss Daddy"

**Author's Note:**

> The basis for the story I have used this ASMR video (Thrifty Thursday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1GiRBZQbPw&t=687s) and it's one of my favorite for relaxation.
> 
> Please understand, that ASMR has nothing to do with sexuality and sexual arousal. They are two completely different things.

\- Mommy, can I sleep with you tonight? I miss Daddy, TK asked and looked at his Mom begging. They sat on the couch watching TV, and Mom held her son in her arms. Dad was on a night shift and wouldn’t come home until early in the morning. He had been away from home before and TK was used to it, but tonight his Dad’s absence made him exceptionally restless. He tried to seek comfort in his mom's arms, but nothing seemed to help.

\- Alright, honey, Mom replied gently as she held her little son in her arms and stroked his head.

After washing his teeth TK went to his room to put on pyjamas and then headed to his parents' bedroom. His Mom had tucked the blanket away from Dad's side, and TK crawled to the bed to lay on his Dad's place. After a while, Mom came into the room, changed her nightgown, and moved into bed on her side.

\- Good night, honey. Trying to sleep, Mom wished her son and stroked his hair.

\- Good night, TK replied and closed his eyes to wait to fall asleep. Mom turned off the lights and the room went dark.

TK squeezed the blanket in his hands. He can't sleep. He was too restless to calm down and fall asleep, even though the fatigue felt like a huge weight in his little body. He missed his Dad. He wanted to his Dad’s lap, to the safety of his strong arms. TK wanted to feel his Dad’s strong, steady heartbeat in his chest.

Dad had advised his son that the night would pass faster when TK slept. In a dream, he would not notice his longing or the absence of his Dad. Sleeping would also help with other bad feelings, when his body and mind were allowed to rest. TK disagreed: sometimes he saw nightmares where Dad didn’t even return home. He woke up at night crying and shouting at his Dad. After that, he no longer dared to fall asleep until his Mom or Dad took him in his arms and calmed him. In the end, he always fell asleep in his parent’s arms.

Now TK didn’t know why he was so restless and unsteady to fall asleep. He missed his Dad, but that didn’t fully explain how he felt. Was he afraid Dad wouldn't come home in the morning? He couldn't say. Mom had tried to calm his by telling that Dad had nothing to worry about. He had come home from work before, so why he wouldn't not come now?

\- Mommy, I can't sleep, TK finally said. He didn’t know how long he had been stay awake or if was his Mom already asleep. - Mom!

In the dim room, TK saw his Mom moving and her hand fumbling with the light switch.

\- Mmm… what, honey? Mom asked sleepily, after getting light on the nightstand lamp.

\- I can't sleep. I miss Daddy.

Mom got up to sit and gestured to TK to come to her. TK curled up in his Mom's arms and she stroked his head. They sat quietly for a long time, but the boy's mind didn’t calm down.

\- Can you tell me in more detail why you miss Dad? Do you just miss him by the way, or are you afraid he won't come home? Mom asked quietly. TK didn't look the same as he seeing nightmares.

\- I don’t know, TK replied uncertainly. - I want in Daddy’s arms. Daddy can calm me down.

\- Are you restless? Mom asked.

\- Yeah…

\- Well, can you tell me why you're restless? Could I help you?

\- I don’t know… TK sighed as his eyes wetted and tears began to drain from his eyes.

\- Okay, honey. It’s just okay that you don’t know, Mom replied gently and wiped the tears from her son’s face.

Uncertainty about this bad feeling and what caused it made TK cry, so bad feel he had. But his Mom's words of approval made his a little easier. Gradually the crying stopped. TK felt like he wanted to sleep, but something was holding him to calm down enough to fall asleep. Mom still held him in her arms and stroked him. The touch and intimacy felt good, but didn’t help let go of the emotional state that held the little boy’s mind in a tight grip.

\- Tyler, would you like to try one thing that might help you relax? Mom asked.

\- What? TK asked and looked his Mom in the eye.

\- Do you remember, when you were very interested in watching Mom make up herself? And you asked if I could touch your face with a brush too.

\- Yeah! It tickled fun! TK smiled and laughed at his memory. Mom also smiled when she saw her son look happy.

\- This would be a bit of a similar method. Your Dad asked sometimes me to do it to him and he really liked it a lot. It helped him relax.

The little boy looked at his Mom and smiled at her. The thing that Mom suggested could not be anything bad, if Dad also liked it and it helped him.

\- If you want, we could at least try to see if it would help you calm down and sleep. It’s nothing bad and it’s not meant to hurt or make you uncomfortable, but you can get to say it right away and interrupt me if you feel uncomfortable.

\- Yeah, TK replied briskly and still smiled. - What do I have to do?

\- Take yourself in a good posture where you could experience relaxation. In the meantime, I'm going to get supplies.

TK nodded and moved to sit on Dad’s side of the bed therefore the time Mom got up and walked somewhere in the dim apartment to pick up the stuff she needed. He settled lay down, looked for a suitable position, and pulled the blanket over. Soon Mom came back to the bedroom with a small, dark bag and sat next to her son on the edge of the bed. She opened the bag and lifted from there a bunch of different makeup brushes onto the blanket. Exactly the ones TK had seen his Mom use before and with whom she had itched her son’s face.

Mom looked gently at her son and smiled at him. TK already felt a little more relaxed, but his mind didn’t calm down. It didn't let him fall asleep. Besides, the boy felt a teasing tension in his stomach and a curiosity about the remedy suggested by his Mom. Mom gently stroked his chest over the blanket and looked at her son's expectant face.

\- Do you have a good posture?

TK nodded and smiled.

\- Good. My intention is to touch your skin with different movements with brushes like this, Mom explained in a quiet, calm voice and raised one brush in her hand for example. - The purpose of this technique is to give you soothing sensory experiences that can help your body and mind relax to promote falling asleep. It is called ASMR. People can experience that feeling differently in their body, and not all people may feel it at all. In addition to different touches, many also experience them when they hear different sounds and for example soothing speech.

Mom took a short break and followed the reaction of TK. The boy listened to her quietly and nodded lightly.

\- What kind of feelings those can be?

\- Well, I haven’t known them much, but your Dad has said he feels tingling under his skin and cold colors running all over his body. He gets a strong sense of well-being and his whole body relaxes. You’ve probably seen him rest on a bed or couch as if he were sleeping, but he has headphones on his head.

The boy nodded and smiled. Mom had advised that Dad should not be bother while he slept, but TK had nevertheless crawled into his Dad's arms to rest, and he wasn't at all angry with his son. On the contrary, he had always greeted TK with a smile and hugged him in his arms. At times, Dad had had headphones on his head, and TK had thought Dad was listening to music.

\- Want to try this? Mom asked tenderly.

\- Yeah! TK replied briskly and smiled broadly.

Mom laughed gently at the boy's eager reaction and pressed a kiss to the boy's forehead.

\- Alright. Can you close your eyes, because it helps you focus on your other senses and makes it easier to relax? I'll start first gently from your hand and tell you what I'm doing. You can tell me what feels good and what doesn’t - and you tell me right away if you want me to stop. As I said, this method is not meant to make you feel uncomfortable or hurt you, honey.

TK nodded with a smile to his Mom, raised both hands on the blanket and closed his eyes. His body began to relax for the first time throughout the evening and night as he felt his Mom take his hand lightly into her own. Mom stroked the back of his palm and the little fingers with her fingers, while watching her son's calm face.

\- Now I start, Mom whispered in a calm voice and chose a soft, even brush in her other hand. TK's small hand rested on her other hand. - I will first make short, straight lines on the back of hand.

The soft skin of the TK vibrated slightly as the soft brush touched it with short, straight strokes. Gradually Mom drew longer lines on her boy's palm and let the brush follow the bones of his fingers toward his wrist. Back and forth, soft touches.

\- How does this feel? Mom whispered. He constantly followed the boy's face and body.

\- Good, TK said quietly.

Mom continued to move, but occasionally increased the pressure of the brush against the skin. In addition to drawing lines, she also began to make round shapes, letting the brush rotate around the boy’s knuckles. She circled the back of his palm with curved strokes and continued slowly to his fingers.

\- Now I turn your hand to the other side and move to the inside of your palm, Mom said calmly and gently turned around the boy’s hand. TK nodded quietly. - This may feel different, because your skin is more sensitive on this side.

Small, happy laugh escaped the boy's lips as Mom drew the first delicate line with a brush inside the palm of his hand. It felt itchy, but in a good way. Mom continued drawing in the same way as on the other side. TK began to feel a slight tingling in his skin as his Mom moved the brush in a circular motion with his hand. In particular, his fingertips were particularly sensitive to touch and the tickling felt really good.

Eventually Mom laid his hand on the blanket and put the brush aside. She looked for a moment at her son's smiling, relaxed face.

\- How did it feel to you?

\- It was really nice, TK replied cheerfully, opened his eyes and smiled at his Mom.

\- Nice to hear, honey. Do you still want to continue?

\- Yeah.

\- Do you want me to try another hand, or do I try something else?

\- What does Dad like? TK asked thoughtfully.

\- Well, Dad listens more to ASMR-themed videos and sounds, but once he asked me to brush his face with these makeup brushes, like I did just for your hand. Dad really liked it a lot and found it especially relaxing for himself. I thought we could try it on you, if you want.

\- Yeah! TK replied.

\- Alright, Mom smiled back. - Close your eyes and try to relax. I'll tell you again what I'm going to do. And you’ll tell right away if something doesn’t feel good to you. Okay?

TK nodded with a smile and closed his eyes. He was already feeling more relaxed than before, but the tingling and itching on the skin caused by the relaxation method his Mom tried interested him and he felt he wanted more of it. It felt differently good, relaxing, and safe than the parents ’way of holding him in their arms and stroking him.

Mom waited a moment for TK to relax and then gently stroked the boy's cheeks with her fingertips. She chose a stippling brush in her hand. She had used it the same on boy's Dad's face.

\- I start at the tip of your nose first, Mom whispered gently.

Mom gently lowered the brush into the boy's nose, and reacted to the little boy's happy laughter. She slowly moved to the edge of his nose and pressed light spots on TK's face with a brush. On the cheeks, she made a few round strokes, continuing with the pressure of the spots on the area of the face and forehead.

\- It tickles, TK giggled happily, but still seemed to enjoy the touch. His Dad had also enjoyed this very much.

Mom enjoyed her son's reaction. She enjoyed their moment together, though at the same time she hoped they could do this at a better time than in the middle of the night to get her son to calm down and sleep.

\- I take a short break and change the brush, she said and lowered the brush over the cover. Next she chose a thick and round face powder brush that felt particularly soft. TK lay in a calm position with his eyes still closed.

The soft powder brush felt like a cotton ball on the boy's face. Mom used it to brush long strokes on the boy's face, sometimes making very abstract patterns on the young skin. As the brush first walked over the boy’s soft lips, TK experienced intense tremors in his body. It felt like a really exciting and good feeling. He started to forget that he missed his Dad. TK felt every cell in his body finally relax.

Mom changed the brush once more and took in her hand a small-headed and stiff brush, which she used most often for precise make-up in a small area. She continued to draw lines and patterns on her son’s relaxed face. Touching his lips made the boy's face jerk slightly. He turned his head slightly and sighed deeply at rest.

\- Mommy, I want to sleep, TK said quietly, in an almost sleepy voice.

\- Alright, honey, Mom answered when she finished pulling the brush and pressed a kiss to the boy's forehead.

\- Good night, dear.

TK turned to his side and seemed to fall into a sleepy look on his face. Mom followed her son for a moment before collecting the brushes off the bed, putting them back in the bag, and moving to her own side on bed to sleep.

* * *

TK woke up from a deep sleep sometime in the morning, hearing his Mom get up on the other side of the bed. He slowly opened his eyes.

\- No worries, honey, he heard his Mom's gentle voice whisper. - Mommy has to get up and go to work, but you can stay asleep. Dad should come home in a couple of hours.

TK fell back into a deep, relaxing sleep. He did not hear his Mom leave the room, make breakfast for herself, or leave for work.

The next time he woke up, he felt a soft touch in his hair and someone sitting on the edge of the bed. A familiar voice called him in a loving voice, but he didn’t recognize the voice. He slowly opened his eyes again.

\- Morning, kiddo, Dad's gentle voice said and there was a warm smile on his face as he stroked his sleeping son's hair.

\- Daddy…? TK mumbled asleep.

\- Daddy is here, buddy. No worries. Mom said you had a hard night.

TK looked sleepy at his Dad and he had trouble keeping his eyes open and himself awake. He just wanted to sleep. Dad bent down and pressed a kiss to the son's forehead.

\- No worries, you can sleep in Dad's place, if you want. But would you like to let your Daddy sleep next to you? Daddy has had a long night and he would also like to sleep, he whispered gently.

TK moved heavily into the middle of the bed when Dad came next to him to lie under the blanket and took his little son to sleep on his lap. He pressed his head over his Dad's chest, and felt a familiar soothing heartbeat under his head. Dad’s strong hands wrapped around him and held him in a safe touch.

Dad pressed the kiss into the boy's soft hair and breathed his scent.

\- Love you, kiddo.

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings to everyone from South-Lapland, almost the Arctic Circle! I just moved to my new home yesterday (or two days ago, because its Friday now), after a long night train -travel ( 9 and half hours...). It was a hard and long day, but now everything is fine. I have almost two weeks summer vacation left, before my new school will begin here.


End file.
